Bathroom fixtures such as recessed soap holders for maintaining soap, wash clothes and the like at a convenient location within a shower enclosure are well known. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,267,353 issued to Baker on May 28, 1918 and entitled WALL RECEPTACLE. The Baker device comprises a soap dish of one-piece china construction having an optional wash cloth rod formed thereon. The Baker device is received by an aperture formed within the wall of the shower enclosure and is positioned substantially flush therewith.
Although such soap dishes are generally suitable for their intended purpose, i.e., the holding of soap and other such small toiletries, they possess inherent deficiencies which detract from their overall effectiveness. For example, it is frequently desired to maintain larger toiletries or articles within easy reach for use within the shower. Typical among these is shampoo and conditioner which are typically contained within bottles sized too large to be contained by such prior art devices. Thus, such shampoo and conditioner bottles are typically disposed upon the floor of the shower, outside of the shower, or at some other inconvenient location.
The inability to place shampoo and other larger articles within such prior art soap dishes necessitates that one using the shower must necessarily reach for such items in a manner which is inconvenient and often dangerous. For example, such articles disposed upon the floor of the shower or outside of the shower necessitate that one bend over and/or reach out of the shower to acquire these articles. This is often done when the individual is wet and the floor is wet and/or slippery. Thus, the placing of shampoo and such articles out of easy reach represents an unsafe situation which increases the likelihood of accidents such as slipping and/or falling which may result in serious injury.
Although the construction of larger receptacles is known, such larger receptacles suffer from other inherent deficiencies. For example, such larger recess receptacles are commonly constructed by forming a recess and shelf structure of complimentary construction to the remaining shower enclosure, i.e., either wallboard and tile or plaster, lath and tile. Such construction is inherently prone to water leakage because of the many corners or joints which must be sealed properly and maintained in good condition to avoid such leakage.
As such, although the prior art has recognized to a limited extent the problem of maintaining toiletries within easy reach within a shower enclosure, the proposed solutions have to date been ineffective in providing a satisfactory remedy.